Empath 101: Energy Basics

Posted on July 5, 2017

Perhaps you’re new to the whole concept of energy and being able to sense something we have not been taught to identify or to name. It’s natural to feel scared, skeptical, doubtful, or even ‘crazy’. So often I have heard people (and myself) hesitate to mention this and other ‘special abilities’ for fear of other people thinking that we’ve completely lost it.

And we all know what we do to people who we think are ‘crazy’, and it has not been pretty – until fairly recently. We marginalize them, medicate them and all but toss them out of society. (Which is also why I was led to the field of mental health counseling. The work of de-stigmatizing actual mental illnesses and seeking help for mental health services is only in its infancy – especially among Asian people and other racial groups!)

So back to the topic – sensing energy. Experiencing ‘supernatural’ powers. This all exists. It is real. You’re not crazy – especially if you are here, reading this blog, and have been fervently trying to seek out more information about it. *However, this is a problem if any visions you encounter have been telling you to hurt yourself or others. It’s important to know the difference and to seek medical help.*

Your sensitivity and intuition is simply another skill that you haven’t been taught about. These are natural propensities for certain things, just like how some people gravitate towards math, or play instruments easily, or have a natural sense of rhythm. It’s mostly innate, and it’s not something to fear.

If you’re here because all of a sudden you’re dreaming about things, having visions, having prophetic dreams, picking up on others’ emotions, feeling chronically tired, sensing what other people think and what their motivations may be, knowing about their karmic past etc. – then you really aren’t crazy. In fact…

You have a gift, and it’s one that can be honed. This gift can allow you to be a channel of divine wisdom – to consciously be one. In truth, we can ALL be channels of divine wisdom. The problem is the issue of forgetfulness – when we are born, we temporarily forget our divine natures, and modern society doesn’t teach us – in fact, it even strips us of our gifts. As a result, most people don’t tap into their intuition enough to wield it with intention.

This is also a gift that can make you feel special sometimes, but it’s also a pitfall to be attached to this sense of specialness. I will go into that in another blog post.

Meanwhile, I wanted to recap some energy basics that I know to be true (at least for myself!), and that may be helpful for you if you’ve only started to delve into this recently. This is a brief culmination of my own study and observation. I am a huge proponent of discarding anything that doesn’t ring true for you – so test these out and see if they feel true for you, be as skeptical as you can, and most importantly, discover for yourself what works for you and what doesn’t.

Energy basics:

We are swimming in an energy soup 24/7. There are many ways to conceptualize it, I often think of it as the collective unconscious. This energy soup also represents the Universal truth of oneness. However, here on earth, having boundaries is important – living your life as an individual, and being interdependent – neither being completely independent (which is an illusion) or completely dependent. Living in this energetic soup as sensitive beings requires us to have a sense of balance: this sense of oneness is supposed to help us develop compassion and empathy for each other – without living others’ lives for them or taking on their burdens wholesale.

This energy soup isn’t something that’s separate from your thoughts, or emotions. Your thoughts and emotions work together to create an energetic field. It’s why you can come in contact with someone and immediately pick up on a vibe. You can immediately feel if you like this person or not, if they are generally honest and true, or if they are putting on a facade. The thoughts and feelings they constantly hold in their minds and bodies create a field around them that you can pick up on. If you feel like someone is lying to you, try not to take it too personally – most likely, they are lying to themselves in some way, and may not even be conscious of it! This was something that used to confuse me all the time – I felt as though people were being dishonest on purpose. However, as human beings, we all tend to have some level of self-deception, so again, 99% of the time it isn’t personal… Just use it as information to tread with caution and steer clear, if necessary.

You are not a victim of others’ energy. This is something that I had to learn the hard way. When I first started reading up about this, I was hungry for ALL kinds of information about it. I was not extremely discerning about the source, because it was just so hard to find material on it anywhere. However, I quickly learned that a lot of writing about energy on the internet comes with different types of baggage, especially the woe-is-me vibe, where people feel like they are the victims of others, simply because being sensitive helps you to feel others so acutely. So I want to reiterate that no matter how strongly you feel something or someone’s feelings, you are NOT a victim of it. You are 100% able to mitigate its effects on you, and you are at choice when it comes to interacting with someone else. It is not always easy to feel fully empowered, and I think of it as an ongoing, evolving process. It helps to remember that as humans, we are all equal to one another. No one has natural dominion over the other. The underlying dynamics of why we feel irresistibly drawn to someone or to play a certain role in their lives though, is the interesting part. And that’s where your journey of self-discovery can get deep!

It’s important to first be aware of your OWN energy, to understand it, to become attuned to where it flows. You are powerful. You are strong. The people around you may not have always helped you feel that way. In fact if you are an empathic, young female, then I am almost certain that you have felt victimized and misunderstood at various points in your life. It’s time to now respect how far you’ve come – and prepare for your journey ahead. It’s important to first take care of yourself – and this means seeking out any kind of therapeutic support, getting enough exercise and being in your body (super important), eating well and getting enough sleep. I would say 95% of energy management is about being aware of your physical body and taking care of its needs. This does not come naturally to sensitive people because we tend to be in our heads so often. But as physical beings, your body is your instrument when it comes to your intuition. It cannot be neglected. Everything else will flow when this basic aspect is taken care of.

Find out what motivates you to manage your energy well. Do you have a goal? A dream? Something you have always felt you needed to do in this life? Or do you just simply want to experience peace? Managing your energy well will help you to detach from turmoil, helping others as a conscious choice instead of something you’re obligated to do. Once you do this, your time and energy will be freed up to direct towards any endeavor of your choice, and I can promise you that there’s no sweeter feeling than this!

To sum it all up: You’re not crazy. You have a gift. You are powerful. You can wield your gift with intention, and it all starts with understanding yourself and valuing you for who you are.

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About Me

Hi, I'm Kerrie.

This is where I write about sensitivity, self-care, and tapping into our intuition to live our lives as our most empowered selves. I'm currently pursuing a Master's degree in Mental Health Counseling in NYC.